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The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period, is
traditionally placed by scholars at the end of the
Third Intermediate Period or at the beginning of the
Late Dynastic Period. In either case, the Saite Period
rose from the ashes of a decentralized Egyptian state
that had been ravaged by foreign occupation.
Supported by the assistance of a powerful family
centered in the Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians
finally drove the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of
this campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at the
height of its power; however, due to civil strife back
east, he was forced to withdraw his forces from
Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the family from Sais,
seized this opportunity to assert his authority over
the entire Nile Valley and found his own dynasty, the
26th of Egyptian history. Known as the Saite Period
due to the importance of the capital city Sais, the
26th Dynasty, like many before it, sought to emulate
the artistic styles of past pharaohs in order to bolster
their own claims to power and legitimize their
authority.
This magnificent bronze votive sculpture represents
Osiris, god of fertility, king of the dead, and ruler of
eternity. Many centuries ago, it might have been
found inside a temple, placed as an offering to the
mighty deity. He is depicted wrapped as a mummy,
holding a crook and flail. These two attributes act as
scepters symbolic of his divine authority over the
forces of nature. He wears a double-plumbed atef
crown, featuring a uraeus cobra slithering down the
front and a pair of undulating ribbed ram’s horns
emerging from the sides, and a false braided beard
with a curved tip. This type of beard is a symbol of
divinity while the headdress associates the god with
the ruling pharaohs.
The legend of Osiris states that his brother Seth,
overcome by jealousy, murdered him and tore his
body into fourteen parts, scattering them across
Egypt. Isis, the faithful wife of Osiris, traversed the
land and gathered all the parts of his body. She then
cast a spell that resurrected her deceased husband
for one night, during which their child, Horus, was
conceived. Thus, Osiris was the central figure of
Egyptian religion, the god who had triumphed over
death and therefore offered the hope of rebirth and
resurrection to all men. This striking image of the god
in his royal mummiform speaks of a universal
mystery, the unanswered questions for which no
living man has a sure answer.
- (X.0364)
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